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Thursday, June 12, 2008

You know those ads that run along the side of my blog? Truth be told, I don't generally pay too much attention to them. I hadn't really checked out the one for GE caulk until a friend brought it to my attention.

We have a leaky shower. It's been that way forever. It's been on my husband's "to do" list for like 40 years. I finally came to the realization that although I wanted the shower taken care of, this was not a high priority on my husband's list. I was so angry that he wasn't fixing it that I decided to just do it myself. I'm not a big DIY (do it yourselfer), but I was determined to show my husband that I could caulk the leaking shower myself. Brilliant plan, no?

So, I went to the store, bought a thing of caulk, got home, and realized I had no way to get the caulk out of the can. Apparently you need a caulk gun. Who knew? Bob the Builder I'm not. I mentioned to my husband that I'd bought some caulk and all he had to do was grab his caulk gun and seal the shower. That darn container of caulk sat there there for 10 years. Or something like that.

So, after my friend brought the GE caulk ad to my attention, I checked it out. Guess what - GE is giving away FREE samplesof their new caulk singles. These things look really cool! You don't need a caulk gun to dispense it. Simply tear open the package and squeeze it out. According to their ads, you should be able to effortlessly apply an even bead of caulk. I filled out the form to receive my free sample.

OK, so here's the shower, complete with mold damage, that was never caulked and is now out of my realm of fixability. It's my husband's job now for sure.

Here's the before picture of the sink that I caulked...

The reason there was a gaping space between the sink and the wall was because the kids have done a little too much of this....

I got my GE caulk single in the mail.....

I tore off the top and just squeezed out a thin, ...almost even bead of caulk.

Then I simply smoothed it out with my expensive caulk smoothing tools finger.

One little note: Don't smear this stuff all over your hands like your favorite moisturizer and then stick them under water in an effort to wash it off, and then try to wipe it off with a paper towel, then rub your hands together some more, then use your nail to scrape the goo off, and then try washing them again. Not that I did that or anything. Just take my word for it.

My DH will ignore those little things like the caulk for years too - when I ask him why he says "why bother with it, we're going to remodel the bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, etc. anyway". Last night we had a similiar discussion regarding the bathroom in the garage apartment. He again made the comment regarding the remodeling and I reminded him that it takes money that we don't have right now. So, my 18 years of married life has taught me that when he ignores something that needs to be done that seems so simple as caulk or changing a "p trap" in the sick it generally means he doesn't care if it damaged further because he has other plans for that room or there is more to the problem than meets the eye and he doesn't want to get into it yet.....found that out the hard way with the "p trap" in the kitchen...he wasn't a very happy camper when he got home one day I there I was with my mother, tools in hand, p trap on the floor and the new one there too trying to figure out how to put it all back together! That problem required replacing more than the trap - how was I to know this without a bit of communication on his part? All I knew was I was sick and tired of the leaking pipe! He got it fixed fairly quick after that though - since I had pretty much rendered the kitchen sink useless!

Thanks for the link for the caulk sample! I'm sure I can find something to use it on that will get him riled up! :-)

My OH is even worse!I have a bathroom which badly needed repairing especially as the tiles were becoming detached from the walls (the builders in the UK just arent good anymore), and water was seeping through to the ceiling below.....You get the drift.

Anyway I was going away for a week with my son and OH announced he was going to "do" the bathroom...yup right! A week - I dont think so!

I came back to just a bath in the middle of the room - NO tiles, NO WC (luckily there is another downstairs), NO washbasin....need I go on?Two years and two months later the bathroom has yet to be completed. OK I now have a WC, basin, and some tiles on the walls so I suppose I should think I am fortunate - hmmm......sarcasm perhaps....

You can have a shower if you stand holding the thingey which connects to the H/C taps, and its lovely if someone turns the hot tap on downstairs.I've been scalded, endured icy waters where icy waters just should not go.....HELP !!

Hi Dawn! After reading this post, I thought "that's exactly what my bathroom looks like", so I ordered my free caulk single also. I received it the other day. My sample is a little different--White, paintable, acrylic--instead of white, waterproof, 100% silicone. Guess it will work the same?? Anyway, you inspired me to use it (your sink looks great!!)--thanks for the link!

I received my sample in the mail today. It reminds me of when my husband COMPLETELY tore apart our bathroom a mere 3 weeks before his surprise birthday party. We had just put in the toilet and sink two days before the party. I still smile when I look at how beautiful my bathroom is now and how I had to 6 years to get it. e had tile that was coming off the wall that was clear caulked tile and was starting to mild behind, it making it no longer clear. Yeah...I really wanted to bathe my children in that kind of bathtub.

If you are looking for an amazing cookbook, try Dining During the Depression. This one has some of the BEST recipies EVER. Mostly stuff from scratch. I make the bread and Mile High Biscuits all of the time. WONDERFUL recipies. I found it on eBay for about $20.00. Good luck with your lovely family.

First of all, this is why I keep going back to the Dr. to get me eyes tested. I know you wrote "caulk single' and didn't even misspell it. But I kept reading 'caulk shingle' and was really curious why someone would have made a shingle out of the stuff. I kept reading, wanting to see what it looked like and where you might use one. When I saw your nice photo shoot (very professional, btw) I saw my single problem! Nice caulking.

I'd also like to add that this post and photo of your shower made me feel a little less intimidated than one of your much earlier posts with the sculpted soap in the gleaming sparkling shower. We used to have a similar patch outside our shower, too. Then hubby did patch it up. Now there's a tiny patch on the other side. Whack-a-mole, you just can't win.

We got our free sample of caulk in the mail yesterday too. I saw this on your other blog and sent out for it then. Thanks for the tips and your sink does look great. I'm seriously trying to find something that needs to be caulked, lol. Thanks for the laughs. Have a great day/night!

Got my caulk a couple of days ago too! I caulked around my kitchen sink. I already knew where I was going to use it, so I went right to work! Oh, and that dont get it all over your hands thing, I still have it on one of my thumbnails!!

Dawn, I often find myself fixing minor problems in my home and in my friends homes(you know the kind, those manly jobs that takes a woman to get it done!) Next time you need to caulk something, use the back of a plastic spoon (wet or dry) to smooth it out, not quite as fancy as your "special tool" but is easy to clean-up, just toss it in the trash! Love your blog!!!